MUCKING THROUGH THE PROFANE WITH LITTLE SACRED
PAYOFF

By Patricia Boccadoro

PARIS, 22 APRIL 2010  Angelin Preljocaj, plus the Paris Opera
Ballet, plus Siddhartha, the story of Buddha, a subject
matter in gold, promised a superb world creation at the Opera
Bastille. But was one led to expect too much? After a dramatic
beginning set against a minimalist décor by Claude Léveque, with
writhing figures in metallic grey and silver emerging out of blackness
below a great glinting orb, not even the magnificence of Nicolas Le Riche
heading a superb cast could stop the ballets descent into a certain
emptiness.

Certainly, the work encompassed a series of wonderful pas de
deux, not all of them original for those familiar with the rest of
Preljocajs choreography, but these were interspersed by a listless
corps de ballet where the limp choreography rather than the
interpreters slowed the work down. Whether or not it was a figment of my
fevered imagination, these young dancers seemed to spend the greater part
of their time attempting sexual intercourse with the nearest person to
hand, be it man, woman or dead body. Glancing at the programme to find out
the truth of the matter, it was explained that the sequence with the dead
bodies, whatever the dancers were actually doing, took place in a village
where there was a breakout of the plague.

SiddharthaPhoto: Anne Deniau Photo courtesy of
Paris Opera Ballet

However, during a mesmerizing pas de deux between Le Riche and
Stéphane Bullion, and the prolonged passage where the two of them,
respectively, came to orgasmic climaxes with two rather nondescript
prostitutes on top of what resembled the chassis of a super-large lorry
descended from space occupying the greater part of the stage, little was
left to the imagination. And in spite of the fact that both men then
bitterly repented of their actions, the question one asked oneself was,
did Buddha, before he became known as Buddha, really spend his time
cramming in sex at every possible opportunity?

SiddharthaPhoto: Anne Deniau Photo courtesy of
Paris Opera Ballet

Apparently he did in this particular work, for the French choreographer
explains that he took the most human moment in Siddharthas life, when he
had rejected the life of a prince with all its materialistic trappings but
was not yet Buddha, to set it to dance under the form of a quest where he
appears to be constantly fighting against his sexual desires.

The story goes that the Prince Siddhartha, thought to have been born
around 560 B.C. in the city of Lumbini, situated in the foothills of the
Himalayas in northeast India, and brought up amidst wealth and ease,
decided one day to leave his all his riches, his palaces, wife and young
son to lead an existence free from all attachments. His goal was to
understand suffering and desire, and to detach himself from all passion in
order to reach "Nirvana", that state of supreme peace and compassion.

SiddharthaPhoto: Anne Deniau Photo courtesy of
Paris Opera Ballet

It was after a visit to Benares in 2002 that the French choreographer
was inspired to confront the sacred and explore the great myths of
humanity, the first work resulting from his travels being the sublime, Near Life Experience, a
quest for a lost paradise which was created for his own company a year
after his return. For the work with the Paris Opera dancers, he
subsequently chose to further his ideas to portray a man in search of the
absolute, but unfortunately the purity, spirituality and the coherence so
evident in his earlier work are quite missing. The result is this
narrative ballet, set in a universal world of yesterday, today and
tomorrow, which, from the quality of the opening duo between Nicolas Le
Riche and his wife Yassodara, the very beautiful Alice Renavand, the
audience is ready to forgive much. Siddhartha erupts onto the stage to
merge with Renavand, a sensuous swirl of red, in a breathtaking pas de
deux which proves to be one of the highlights of the work.

SiddharthaPhoto: Anne Deniau Photo courtesy of
Paris Opera Ballet

Angelin Preljocaj, blessed with his interpreters as well as with
Léveque's splendid decor should also give thanks to Olivier Bériot, his
costume designer, whose creations actually enhanced and gave credibility
to much of the choreography. The "white act" was exceptionally well-done,
the semi- transparent white costumes of the corps de ballet a
froth of shimmering tulle, and the appearance of Aurélie Dupont, as the
"Awakening", an ethereal being who is neither male nor female brought a
certain charm to the work. Her exquisite slow arm movements, full of
grace, were meltingly lovely even when flying through the air and
pirouetting in the palm of Siddharthas hand. The uneven score with its
clashing symbols and strident drum rolls by Bruno Mantovani alternatively
complemented the work, or intruded, despite the excellence of Susanna
Malkki who conducted the Orchestre de lOpera National de Paris.

SiddharthaPhoto: Anne Deniau Photo courtesy of
Paris Opera Ballet

This is a ballet where one has to forget the story and any association
with Buddha. One should simply sit back to absorb the beauty of the
pas de deux, male/female, male/male or male/air which were ideal
for the Paris Opera dancers. However, duets do not constitute a complete
work, and this sombre ballet lacked coherence; it was over-long, and it
would possibly have been better to have spoken of it as a quest for the
meaning of life where a young man goes out into the world, as did the
Prodigal Son, and meets a certain number of temptations in order to find
his spiritual self.

It is more a curiosity which many people would not be tempted to see a
second time.

Patricia Boccadoro writes on dance in Europe. She has
contributed to The Guardian, The Observer and Dancing Times and was dance
consultant to the BBC Omnibus documentary on Rudolf Nureyev. Ms. Boccadoro
is the dance editor for Culturekiosque.com